Absence of domestic triatomine colonies in an area of the coastal region of Ecuador where Chagas disease is endemic.

Rhodnius ecuadoriensis is considered the second most important vector of Chagas disease in Ecuador. It is distributed across six of the 24 provinces and occupies intradomiciliary, peridomiciliary and sylvatic habitats. This study was conducted in six communities within the coastal province of Guayas.

Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi in rural Ecuador and clustering of seropositivity within households.

We performed a cross-sectional study of Trypanosoma cruzi seroprevalence in 14 communities in three provinces of Ecuador and estimated the magnitude of the association of seropositive individuals within households. A total of 3,286 subjects from 997 households were included. Seroprevalence was 5.

Life cycle, feeding and defecation patterns of Rhodnius ecuadoriensis (Lent & León 1958) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) under laboratory conditions.

Rhodnius ecuadoriensis is the second most important vector of Chagas Disease (CD) in Ecuador. The objective of this study was to describe (and compare) the life cycle, the feeding and defecation patterns under laboratory conditions of two populations of this specie [from the provinces of Manabí (Coastal region) and Loja (Andean region)]. Egg-to-adult (n = 57) development took an average of 189.

Household risk factors for Trypanosoma cruzi seropositivity in two geographic regions of Ecuador.

Few studies on the relationship between environmental factors and Trypanosoma cruzi transmission have been conducted in Ecuador. We conducted a cross-sectional study of household risk factors for T. cruzi seropositivity in 2 distinct geographical regions of Ecuador.

Improving the safety of the blood supply in Ecuador through external performance evaluation of serological screening of blood donors.

Background: The Ecuadorian National Blood System collects approximately 100 000 units of blood per year. Screening for infectious agents is conducted by 23 autonomous blood services using different methodologies and reagents.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of serology testing by laboratories of the Ecuadorian National Blood Bank System.